Gunmen open fire on Pakistan television station

KARACHI - Gunmen opened fire on a local television station in Pakistan's largest city, injuring a guard and an employee, police and TV officials said late Monday evening.

"Four men on two motorcycles attacked our station in Karachi with automatic guns," Rashid Mehmood, local Aaj News TV's director of news told AFP.

"They also damaged some cars and fled," he said, adding that the guard's injuries were serious.

Police official Asghar Ali confirmed the report.

"The two injured men have been shifted to a local hospital and we are on the lookout for the culprits of the attack," he said.

Mehmood said there had been no threats made from any militant group to the television station.

"We had no threat whatsoever, from any militant group," he said.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for Monday's attack, threatening that the militants could attack again if coverage of their stance "is not given equal to that of government and the army".

"We should be given the coverage equal to what media gives to the government and the army," he said.

"We had called the Aaj News TV and asked them to hear us as well, but they turned down our plea.

"We have attacked them today and can go far if our stance is kept unheard."

The shooting was the second attack on Aaj TV in five years. The channel was previously attacked amid a frenzy of political violence in May 2007.